KOCHI: When it comes to art and heritage, the Sree Sankaracharya University of Sanskrit at Kalady is a treasure chest. In the year 1995, when the university was established, artist J R Palakkal was commissioned to paint a series of portraits based on the life of Adi Sankaracharya. The paintings that number around 33 will be put on display at the Art and Mind Gallery at Paravur as a part of 'Sree Sankara 2019'.
The exhibition will begin on July 20 (Saturday) at 4 pm, said Saju Thuruthil, head of the department, Department of Fine Arts, Sree Sankaracharya University of Sanskrit(SSUS), Kalady. According to him, the paintings had been lying neglected for quite a long time. "The neglect coupled with damage caused by the flood deteriorated the condition of the once beautiful paintings," he said.
"Due to the dampness, black mould covered the paintings and they had bulged out. The colours too had been affected with discolouration setting in," he said. He was entrusted with the chemical restoration of the paintings since he is a certified art conservator and restorer. "I was able to bring the paintings back to nearly the original status," he said.
"These are very valuable works. The paintings track various milestones in the life of Adi Sankaracharya," he said. The series begins with the Sankaracharya's parents arriving in Kalady. "There is one that shows his parents crossing the river on a wooden bridge. The next in the series shows the birth of Adi Sankara and ends with a painting of him attaining 'Sarvanjapeedam'," said Saju. The paintings are done in the Raja Ravi Varma style and stand on par with those done by the European masters, he added.
According to him, paintings of this standard can never be seen anywhere else. "The vibrancy of the colours, the manner in which the expressions have been caught beside the very fact that such a beautiful chronicling of Sankaracharya's life has been rarely done makes the exhibition worth viewing," he said. Along with the exhibition, a one-day seminar on 'Darshanam, Vedantam, Manavikata' will be held. The talk will be given by P V Ramankutty, visiting faculty, SSUS.